3 held in Abu Dhabi anti-piracy raids

Abu Dhabi, April 9, 2011

Anti-piracy authorities in Abu Dhabi recently collaborated with Microsoft Gulf, a member of the Business Software Alliance (BSA) to conduct raids on three of IT resellers based in the UAE capital.

The raids at Electra Street resulted in the confiscation of suspected counterfeit CDs containing Microsoft software and arrest of three persons, said a UAE Ministry of Economy official.

“The MoE takes intellectual property rights violation of any kind seriously, as evidenced by the regular anti-piracy raids being conducted in the UAE,' remarked Abdullah Al Hussain, director of the Censorship Department, UAE Ministry of Economy.

'The ministry will continue to extend possible support to concerned authorities to tackle software piracy and promote sustained growth of the country’s IT sector,' he noted.

'The UAE Ministry of Economy and other concerned anti-piracy authorities have been extending their total support to our members to ensure sustained efforts to curb software piracy in the country,' said Jawad Al Redha, BSA chair in the Gulf region.

'The latest raid on three resellers in Abu Dhabi will send out a strong message to counterfeiters and IT resellers in the UAE that any form of piracy will not be tolerated,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service